Cisco has recently announced the end of life of the PIX firewall.

This announcement opens the door for customers to migrate to the latest generation of security appliances - Firebox^® X e-Series from WatchGuard^®.  Now they can move up to a solution that offers superior security, performance, and reliability.

CRN gives WatchGuard First Place in their UTM Bake-Off

Inc. Magazine touts WatchGuard as the product “Best For Maintaining High Security”

The WatchGuard Firebox Trade Up Program is the most generous in the industry, offering 25% to 40% savings on our best-selling Firebox X UTM appliances.  And, unlike the competition’s trade-in programs, it doesn’t require multi-year contracts. 

There has never been a better time to introduce your customers to the Firebox X e-Series. 

Contact us today to learn more watchguard@abtecnet.com  

Keys to Abtec Network System Ltd’s brand new premises were officially handed over by developers Boden to Managing Director, Andy Beynon in preparation for the company’s Head Office move in January 2008.

The 6,000 square foot purpose built building is part of Abtec’s expansion strategy that will enable them to accommodate their ever increasing staff numbers and boasts modern and spacious facilities to hold seminars, training and demonstrations of systems.Moving into brand new premises also heralds the start of Abtec’s ‘Go Green’ campaign that has the 3 basic principles of:

•           Reduce energy

•           Help the environment

•           Save money

The ‘Go Green’ strategy has been considered throughout the entire building and planning process; a wide range of low carbon technologies have been implemented to reduce Abtec’s overall Carbon Footprint. These solutions will increase the reliability and performance of the new building, and have a positive effect on the environment. Features include:

Presence Sensing – a dedicated building controller can sense whether areas are occupied or unoccupied. Unoccupied areas will effectively be placed on ‘standby’; heat, air conditioning and light will be taken down to their most cost effective and energy efficient levels.

Windows are fitted with sensors and if opened, the air conditioning will shut off in that particular area.

Addressable fixture level dimming - responds dynamically to the ever changing characteristics of a building by always providing the right amount of light; lights will not be unnecessarily turned on.

Heat Recovery Air Conditioning - energy efficiency up to five times greater than a traditional water or air cooled units.

The implementation of dedicated thin client hardware; just one central server will process all applications resulting in much lower energy consumption compared to thick client PCs.

Abtec will be moving into the new building from its present location on Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough in January 2008. Follow Abtec’s countdown by logging onto www.abtecnet.com 

“Abtec has grown considerably since we started operating from my spare room over 16 years ago.” said Andy Beynon, Managing Director. “2007 has been an exceptional year for us and following our move we will be in a position to increase our workforce and significantly grow the business. We are all looking forward to the move - we’ll certainly be starting 2008 with a bang!”

Exceptional Trade-Up

Buy a Firebox X Core X750e software bundle trade-up or a Firebox X Core X1250e software bundle trade-up and get the Watchguard box for FREE!

Peak HA Bundle

Purchase any Watchguard Peak Firebox Firewall and get a second identical unit for 50% off. This bundle includes a free 5 pack of WSM Licences.

Firebox X Core 1250e Software Bundle Offer

Purchase the Firebox X Core X1250e Software Bundle and receive Fireware Pro FREE!

For further information on these offers please give us a call on 0870 7874 500 or e-mail watchguard@abtecnet.com.

Small UK businesses can now enjoy the benefits of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and still maintain a local identity, due to the launch of Geographic Numbers from BT Business. This allows you to use a local phone number with BT Business Broadband Voice. You can benefit from the free additional VoIP line that comes with a BT Business Total Broadband package. This offers capped-price calls to mobile and international destinations, but now gives your customers a local number to call.

Recent BT research showed that 66% of consumers would rather buy goods and services locally. When the service is combined with BT Office Communicator, Broadband Voice customers can use a local number to make and receive calls, use instant messaging (IM), text (SMS) and make video calls via their computer, wherever they are.

Geographic Numbers cost £2.99 (excl. VAT) per number per month. To find out more information on this new service give us a call on 01858 438500.

MobileXpress (MX) Private Teleworker provides you with the tools you need to manage a large network of low-cost, broadband VPN connections for your home workers or for small branch offices. And the product’s service wrap means you can easily integrate support processes into your existing IT support infrastructures. BT’s investment in Broadband means it is now possible to enjoy the benefits of a fully ‘on-net’ experience when working from home or remotely anywhere in the UK.With broadband lines linked directly into your VPN, your end-users’ PC’s are not vulnerable to attack from the Internet. And because those PCs can only be connected to the public websites via your own central internal gateways, homeworkers have the same protection as office based staff. Although MX Private Teleworker has been designed specifically to meet the home worker requirements of corporate customers, it is equally useful in similar environments that work in the same way, e.g. small branch offices of companies that operate in a centralised data processing environment, such as construction site offices. It offers the combination of network connectivity and service management capabilities that you need to protect the productivity of your home/remote workers. It also provides a range of broadband VPN access options and a choice of equipment - from basic
modems to advanced wireless routers. And you can… …manage all of this online, via a secure central website giving you full control over the whole network, including: provisioning, reporting,
diagnostics, fault reporting and much more.

The Siemens HiPath BizIP offers professional Internet Telephony from as little as £570*. The innovative Voice-over-IP system is specially adapted to the needs of smaller companies. Its peer-to-peer technology makes it particularly easy to use and expand and allows you to start enjoying the benefits of future-proof IP communication based on the SIP standard straight away. Benefits of the HiPath BizIP: 

• Low-cost telephony via your Internet connection
• Smooth, fail-safe transition from the existing telephone network via Voice-over-IP while retaining existing call numbers.
• Convenient & attractive telephones with voicemail
• Ability to easily expand system to as many as 16 subscribers
• No need for an expensive switchboard thanks to intelligent terminal services (Peer-to-peer)
• Ability to connect faxes, DECT phones and door opener devices
• Data & voice communication – one cable to the desk
• High-quality router with firewall for the DSL connection included
• Quick & simple installation, configuration & expansion.

*£570 refers to the price of the main operating system. Additional costs for handsets may be required.

If it’s call-handling features you’re looking for, try Featureline. You get the functionality of an office phone system, using high-tech equipment at a BT exchange. Featureline is an intelligent analogue line that has 19 network features built in. Ideally for SME, especially businesses with 2-5 lines and gives all the facilities normally associated with a switchboard, but without the need for capital outlay. As a company expands, Featureline can grow, with up to 60 Featurelines on an installation.

Benefits:

• Cost effective – It is a service you rent. You do not tie up capital in a phone system
• Technology - BT keeps the technology up to date. You can forget about obsolescence and budgeting for replacement
• Portable - There’s no system box or special cabling. You can probably use your existing phones, though special Featureline phones are available
• Reliable - The service - maintained by BT - is extremely reliable. There’s no hassle with maintenance contracts or insurance
• Call Management -Good call-management makes a good impression on your customers
• Expandable - You can expand Featureline whenever you need, up to 60 lines per site

Read more about BT Featureline with Abtec

IP Clear links multiple sites together to create an IP-based, secure virtual private network. Those networks can then be used as the platform for company-wide intranets, extranets or inter-site business connectivity.

Can be used as convergence solution for running voice and data over one network, which reduces infrastructure and management costs.

Core network owned, maintained and managed end-to-end by BT with resilience measures designed in, so ensuring security and reliability.

Easy migration from other virtual private networks to IP VPN, so cost-effective way to introducing IP or add new sites.

Wide choice of access speeds to 1Gbps, allowing service to be quickly scaled up or down to meet specific requirements.

Delivers any-to-any connectivity between sites, reducing expense associated with reconfiguring and managing connections between multiple networks.

Sites throughout the UK and beyond can be brought together into a wide area network (WAN) to share information and applications with IP Clear, even if their networks use different protocols.

This secure, reliable Internet protocol (IP) virtual private network lets you configure your network to meet exact corporate requirements.

It runs over BT’s multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network, providing a cost-effective, highly scalable route to direct information exchange between connected locations.

What’s more, if there is a fault on the network, information will always reach your required destination as traffic simply takes a different path.

Cost-effective

IP Clear delivers a VPN solution that offers:

• Unbundled, ‘wires-only’, so you can use existing equipment or equipment from preferred suppliers
• Cost-effective way to build meshed network as there are no usage-based permanent virtual circuit (PVC) charges
• Capability to adjust bandwidth quickly to suit users and applications as needed
  Scalability for adding new sites quickly, merging with other organisations or bandwidth increases
• Business continuity options including synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) delivery and dual-diversely routed access circuits

IP Clear with CoS

IP Clear’s differentiated classes of service (CoS) provide a platform that enables you to converge voice and data traffic on to one network. Converging traffic can then cut infrastructure and management costs
 
View more IP Clear solutions from Abtec Network Systems

Small to Medium Businesses face an ever competitive and changing business environment. Abtec can provide a communication solution to help your business grow. Abtec’s wealth of experience and technical expertise means we can tailor a solution to your needs and ensure it is future proof and scalable so it can be expanded as your business grows.

Visit Abtec’s website to see typical devices on a small to medium business network

BT is rolling out its next generation network. This radical and groundbreaking programme, called the 21st Century Network, will consolidate BT’s complex network and systems infrastructure. But it is not simply a network transformation; it’s an overhaul of products, systems, process and a fundamental remaking of BT’s business.

Visit the 21CN website

What is 21CN?

View telephony solutions from Abtec